Combined Bachelor's/ Master's Degree

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​The combined Bachelor's/Master's degree programs allow students to complete 12 graduate credit hours while still undergraduates. These three graduate level courses will count toward both the undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

Students who meet the admission requirements below may choose to apply to a combined degree program. Interested students should consult their faculty advisor regarding the application procedure. This program allows students to combine many CDM bachelor's degrees with a CDM master's degree following the structure outlined below.

Admission Criteria

Minimum of 44 quarter hours earned

Minimum of 12 quarter hours earned at DePaul

GPA of 3.3 or higher in courses taken at DePaul

Endorsement of faculty advisor

In order to apply for the combined degree program, your faculty
advisor must send an e-mail recommendation to the CDM Academic Success
Center. The recommendation should include your full name, student ID
number, and the bachelor's and master's degrees you wish to combine.

Bachelor of Arts in Computing students who are enrolled via the
School for New Learning are eligible for this program. Interested
students who meet the admission criteria for a combined degree should
contact Kenn Skorupa at SNL for more information

Program Structure

Students in the combined degree program take a maximum of three graduate level courses that count toward both their bachelor's and master's degree requirements. Students may enroll in graduate level coursework in the junior and senior year only. Students in the combined degree program will receive the bachelor's degree after meeting all graduation requirements including the minimum credit hours required for graduation.

To earn the master's degree, the student must earn as many additional graduate credit hours as needed to reach the minimum number of graduate credit hours required in that master's degree.

Only CDM courses can be taken as part of this program. The J.D./M.S. and Ph.D. degrees are not eligible for the combined degree program.

Maintaining Good Standing

Cumulative GPA and course grades will be reviewed after each Autumn, Winter, and Spring Quarter.

The student and faculty advisor will be notified when the student's cumulative GPA falls below 3.3 or when the students receives less than a C- in graduate level course.

If a student's cumulative GPA falls below 3.3, the student must earn a term GPA of 3.3 or above in the following quarter to stay in good standing. If the student does not achieve a 3.3 term GPA, then the student will be dismissed from the combined program and resume the traditional B.A./B.S./B.F.A.

If dismissed from the combined degree program after graduate courses have been passed, the graduate curses may only apply to the undergraduate degree. Should the student later be admitted to a graduate program, graduate courses applied to the undergraduate degree many not apply to the graduate program and may not be repeated if they are required in the declared graduate curriculum. Other graduate courses may be substituted in this case.

Designing a Course of Study

It is extremely important that the student and faculty advisor work together on a course of study immediately upon admission to the Combined Degree Program.

This course of study should include the graduate courses to be taken and the undergraduate courses that are replaced by the graduate courses. Failure to put together a solid plan can lead to extra coursework and a lengthening of the Combined Degree program.

It is advisable for the student and the faculty advisor to enter the proposed plan of study in the student communication record on the CDM intranet so it is available to the student and CDM faculty and staff.

Registering for Master's Degree Courses

Combined degree students must meet regularly with their faculty advisors. The faculty advisor will initiate the registration process for all graduate level courses taken during the undergraduate career.

Bachelor's Degree to Master's Degree Transition

In order to be fully admitted to the designated master's program, the student must meet all admission requirements for that program. When preparing to complete the undergraduate portion of the combined degree, students must submit the application for degree conferral for the undergraduate degree by the application deadline. At this time, the students should contact the CDM Academic Success Center about the procedure required to be formally admitted to the declared graduate program.